A Stroll Between Two Explorers
by adventurecroft96
Summary: Basically a for-fun imagining of what an interaction would be like between the rebooted version of Lara Croft and Nathan Drake. I'm not that familiar with Uncharted, but I did play two of the games from the series, so I tried my best with Nathan's character in this short story. Enjoy! By the way, **WARNING: SPOILER ALERT** for those who haven't completed Rise of the Tomb Raider!
1. Introductions

"I mean, the Divine Source is the only artifact that my father spoke of. But like you've said, the tales that are spoken of similar to this are countless. If it seems like Trinity still remains active, then perhaps you should indeed keep close to their tracks." Sophia walked as graceful as the way she spoke. Lara matched her pace effortlessly as they strolled through the village in the upper cliffs of the Geothermal Valley.

"That is precisely why I'm back here. To investigate any further information. I appreciate you letting me have another look around." Lara came to a halt at the edge of the wooden walkway that descends down into the valley. Her eyes cast around everything in her peripheral vision. She caught a glimpse of several people patching up their buildings. "If there's anything I can do to help while I'm here, please don't hesitate." Sophia smiled.

"You've done enough already, Lara. All that I ask is that you be careful with our ancestor's belongings inside the tombs. So much has been disturbed by Trinity already." A pang of guilt hit Lara. She swallowed the feeling and promised Sophia that she'll be careful. Sophia embraced her. After the two shared a hug, they each turned to go their separate ways.

Lara eagerly made her way down the ramp that she's traversed so many times before. She dipped beneath the pool of water to the right and proceeded to swim under the waterfall and into a hidden passage that leads to a familiar tomb. Carefully, she lowered herself down inside its depths, scrutinizing every inscription on the walls that close her in. She examined anything that could have a possible connection to the concept of the immortal soul, the Prophet. She traveled for a mere few minutes before stopping. _"This is foolish...Kitezh is where I should be looking. I didn't get to explore the city itself much."_

With that conclusion, Lara turned back and made her way back out into the valley.

"Back already, Miss Croft?" Lara spotted a man gathering wood near her as she climbed out of the cool water.

"You caught me off guard with that name. I got so used to 'outsider.'" The man laughed.

"Well you deserve the respect of being addressed by your name after all you've done for us." Lara adjusted her ponytail before having a seat on a rock. She retrieved a stick she's been keeping in her quiver and began to sharpen one end to a point with her knife.

"I'm honestly surprised that no one here is upset now that the Divine Source is gone," she replied. "I feel like a destroyed a vital part of this community." Lara paused before tying a few feathers to the stick and returned the now crafted arrow to her quiver. She took out another stick.

"Sophia said that you've made the choice that Jacob couldn't make." The man tied a bundle of wood together. "He was afraid of letting us down by revealing the truth to us." He strapped the bundle to his back and walked past Lara.

"You've made the right choice, Croft." Lara nodded in understanding as he left, half-reassured yet partly unsure. She geared up and headed for the city of Kitezh, no longer hidden beneath the ice. Choosing to take the same passage she used to first return to the valley from the city, she began the long walk. She traveled and rested for about two hours, watching the landscape transition from green grass to white snow as she walked.

Nearing the location of the city, Lara zipped up her red coat as the wind began to pick up. She surveyed the area below her as she approached the massive hole that the city sits in. She spotted a sturdy-looking plot of ice hanging down towards the city. After attaching rope to an arrow, she aimed for the ice and let it fly. When it makes contact, she tested the strength of the line and tied the other end to a nearby pole. The line held well when she climbed on and activated the rope ascender.

When she reached her goal, she plunged two climbing axes into the ice and carefully moves around to the other side, where she saw the highest building of the city up close. Lara hooked her grapple line onto one of her climbing axes. She took a deep breath and leaped out into the open air, letting her grapple shoot out above her and grab the edge of the roof. She began to scramble down towards the streets of the city. About halfway down, a ledge crumbled at her touch, leaving her to plummet towards the ground. Lara crashed through the roof of another building and landed on the hardwood floor, taking a grueling hit to her whole body. _"Ah shit...I already broke that promise to Sophia."_ She cradled her head with one hand. Another noise nearby reached her ears. _"Now what did I break?"_ She glanced up to see the damage, but instead found a shadow flash past a wall in the building right next to her.

Lara quickly jumped to her feet and took cover next to the remains of the wall in the building she currently was residing in. She pulled out her pistol. From her angle, she spotted a man hiding behind another wall with a gun pulled as well. She crept down to the streets to get a closer look. Finding refuge behind a cart, she examined him further. _"It doesn't look as if he belongs to Trinity...but then again, I guess you never know."_

Keeping her gun straight out in front of her, she ran towards the stranger.

"Drop it!" she demanded in the most forceful voice she could muster. The man's eyebrows rose. He immediately threw his arms into the air.

"Hey, wait! It's okay."

"Drop it!" Lara repeated. The man grunted in frustration and tossed his pistol towards her. It landed between the two of them. Lara stepped closer to him, kicking the the gun away, while training hers on him.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?"

"The name's Drake. Nathan Drake. I'm just having a look at these old ruins."

"What for?" Nathan kept his hands in the air.

"I'm just touring. Can we just have a friendly chat?" He laughed, either out of hysteria or humor.

"One more lie and your tour will end," Lara declared harshly.

"Not a fan of jokes, I see." He exhaled another small laugh. "I'm just looking for a lead." Lara quirked an eyebrow.

"A lead for what? How did you find this place?"

"An old friend. He told me that an organization found it and abandoned it."

"Trinity," Lara whispered with agitation. "How did he get that information from them?"

"Who knows? Sully has many connections."

"Why isn't Sully here with you? Did Trinity send you here?" Nathan smirked.

"Sully hates the cold. And I'm my own boss, darling." Lara stared him down for a moment and lowered her weapon.

"You should leave."

"Psh, speak for yourself." Nathan placed his hands on his hips. Dirt cloaked his black jacket, which looked light in weight. A flashlight of some sort was attached to his temple. His dark brown hair looked almost black from where Lara was standing.

"I'm welcome here." Lara leaned over and took his gun off the ground.

"Oh, come on. You can't say you haven't explored some forbidden territory." He studied her from head to toe. "Especially with all that gear...Damn."

"I have my reasons, which I don't have to explain to you." She quickly stood up straight, pretty sure of the fact that he wasn't just staring at her equipment. She holstered her gun and tucked his in the back of her cargo pants. Backing away a few steps, she kept her eyes on his hands.

"So do I." Nathan walked towards her.

"And what reasons are those?" She equipped her pistol once again.

"I'm here to see what that organization might have missed since they seemed to have left the city so quickly after finding it...Trinity, you called them." Lara made eye-contact with Nathan.

"Believe me when I tell you that you do not want to get involved with them." Nathan laughed yet again.

"It's a little too late for that. Sully's been tracking them for months."

"Just as you are too late to find what's here. The only valuable thing has been destroyed." Nathan took a step closer to her.

"Then why are you still here?" Lara trained her pistol on him.

"Leave it to me to worry about that." Nathan raised his hands slightly.

"Trust me for a second, would you?"

"Give me a reason to," replied Lara. Nathan turned his back to her.

"You can search me if you want. Just don't blame me if you lose control of yourself. No shame in it, either." His comment caused Lara to roll her eyes.

"I can control my drives just fine. I'm a little worried about you, though, so let's just keep the distance we have."

"Suit yourself." He faced her again. "So now what?"

"You march out of here."

"I'm not leaving without having a look around."

"Neither am I. You walk ahead." Nathan obeyed her.

"You've been here before, obviously. Shouldn't _you_ be giving _me_ a tour?" His humorous remarks drew a sigh from Lara's lips.

"You'll warm up to me eventually. Every woman I've come across has given into my charm at some point or another."

"Look, I don't need to know your history regarding women and I certainly don't want to be a part of it," Lara stated.

"Just give it time." Lara sighed again. They walked towards the palace gates.

"Why bother coming back here, if there's nothing valuable?"

"Sometimes information is far more valuable than the money obtained from artifacts," Lara answered vaguely.

"What kind of information is it that you are looking for?"

"Just information having to do with connections to other areas of history."

"Connections are always good." The conversation fell silent as they continued to stroll through the city. Lara stopped and knelt down when she saw an inscription in a rock near a cave. She kept Nathan in the corner of her eye.

"What's this?...'The Prophet has blessed us with protection...This blessing resembles the same blessing given-'" She notices that a small section of the rock as been broken off. She continued onward. "'Let us appreciate this blessing like those who have appreciated the blessings of the immortal soul before and during our time now.'" Lara's eyebrows rose. "So there are other secrets like this. But where?"

"Perhaps this would tell you." Lara looked to her left to see Nathan offering a small section of a rock to her. She holstered her weapon and took the piece, placing it where it belongs.

"'The same blessings given to others around the world.' Hm...Doesn't tell me much..." She stood up straight.

"Well, I'm sorry if my contribution was of no help to you!" Nathan mumbled. Lara blinked without any form of expression displayed on her face. It was clear that she was barely tolerating his bantering attitude.

"Stay close. Wouldn't want you to get lost." Nathan shook his head and smirked as he began to walk with her. They reached the palace gates together. The entrance was now blocked by a large pile of rubble.

"There's never a direct way in, is there?" Nathan questioned. He looked over when Lara failed to respond. To his surprise, she was already climbing her grapple up and over the rubble. Lara awaited Nathan's arrival at the top. He appeared, clambering up and over a few feet from her.

"Impressed yet?" Nathan took a few breaths in between words. Lara revealed a slight grin.

"Not the slightest."

"Now you're just giving me a hard time." Nathan strode over to where she was standing. "This have any special meaning to you?" He gestured towards the patterns engraved in the tile flooring before them.

"Perhaps."

"Well?"

"It won't mean anything to you, now that the artifact's been destroyed," explained Lara.

"Try me."

"Can't you decipher them for yourself?" Nathan simply grumbled and squatted down. Brushing his fingers along the patterns, he studies them.

"They seem like repetitive symbols. Symbols used to honor somebody. Perhaps that Prophet you mentioned?"

"Right."

"Care to fill me in on who exactly that is?"

"I've little time for story-telling, Nathan."

"Then show me around. I can piece it together, I'm sure."

"What choice do I have?" mumbled Lara quietly.

Together, the two explored for a little while longer, each taking in their own information and comparing interpretations. Lara seemed to be of more help to Nathan, thanks to the edge she had regarding the knowledge of the place. After a steady investigation of the palace, they began to double back the way they came.

"So what exactly does Trinity want?" Nathan asked.

"Power. They think that by obtaining power of some sort, they can 'cleanse the world of sin.'"

"What kind of power? Like money?"

"Something like that," said Lara, choosing to keep it simple.

"Sounds very similar to the type of people I've come across."

"What is it that drags you around the world?" asked Lara.

"Mostly curiosity." Nathan smiled. "The riches that sometimes come with it don't hurt, though."

"Hm." Nathan picked the conversation back up.

"So, did you find what you came for?"

"To an extent, yes...What about you? It seems that you've hit a dead end."

"I never reach a dead end. Only new beginnings. I suppose my next step is investigating Trinity."

"I really don't advise getting involved with them."

"Why not? Afraid that I am a threat to your campaign?" He tossed her a smirk.

"I suppose not. Not so far." Lara smiled faintly, trying not to think about her father. Nathan continued to smile.

"See, you're warming up to me already, Croft."

"How did you know-"

"I've seen you in the archaeological journals. Lara, right?"

"Yes." Lara leans against a nearby wall and looks down as a smile stretches across her face, one that was half-filled with shame.

"I suppose you've seen all the comments about how 'crazy' I am." Nathan duplicated her expression.

"Well, yes. But I don't think that at all." Lara faced him. "You seem more intelligent than anything." Nathan stood next to her. "In fact, I've seen unbelievable things on my expeditions as well. So I understand the kinds of things you've been through." Lara pushed off the wall and continued to walk. She looked down to hide her troubles. _"How could he...how could he possibly understand the loss, the betrayals, the guilt..."_

"Any chance I could get my gun back, sweetheart?" Nathan remained standing by the wall. Lara pulled it from the back flap of her cargo pants and approached him. Noticing that Lara was offering it to him, Nathan reached out to grab it. Lara resolved to pulling it back. She stared dead into his eyes.

"Whether it's now or if we meet again, give me any reason to distrust you, I won't hesitate." Nathan nodded in understanding as she held the gun out to him again. He took it. Lara began to turn away.

"Hey, wait." She stopped. Nathan caught up with her and offered his hand as well as a flirty smile. She took his hand as he leaned in, supporting his weight by pressing his other hand on a nearby wall.

"Thanks for the tour. Allow me to leave you with a token of my appreciation." He suddenly released her hand and placed his own hand around one side of her face. "I do hope we meet again, Croft." He leaned in further, inching his lips towards hers. Lara halted him by placing her hand on his chest. She removed his hand from her face.

"I told you...I want no part in your history," she reiterated in all seriousness. She backed away, leaving Nathan in awe. As soon as she got far enough away from him, she turned to climb up back to the world above.

"A tough one, she is," Nathan said to himself as he holstered his gun and looked all around him. "You don't stand a chance with her, Drake."


	2. Paths Are Crossed Once Again

Lara traced her fingers along the patterns engraved into the rocky surface outside the entrance of a cave. _"I wonder if these symbols dedicated to the Prophet are universal."_ In an attempt to answer her question, she opened a journal full of notes she had taken previously on the concept of the Prophet, even before she embarked on her journey to find the Prophet's tomb. From what her careful notes indicated, she gathered that many cultures had similar historical figures within their chronicles. The question now was what was the next step? Which area of history was worth looking into now?

Lara tucked her journal back into her rear pocket and continued on her way, following the river downstream through the Geothermal Valley. She got lost in her thoughts as she studied the way the water flowed over the rocks. She snapped back to reality when she heard a light animal-like grumble. The sight of a bear drinking from the river confirmed her unsteady feelings. It raised its head. _"Shit..."_

Carefully, Lara withdrew her shotgun. Her opponent stumbled closer to her, allowing a growl to erupt from its lungs. The massive creature lunged for her. Lara fired and scrambled to the side. The bear growled again, seemingly as loud as thunder. It collapsed slightly after taking a heaving blow to the chest. Its blood stained the ground beneath it. Lara quickly reloaded, preparing for the next attack. The bear ran toward her this time. Lara stood her ground and waited for it to get in range. Before it could get close enough, however, the creature's blood began squirting out of its back as gunshots from above rang out. The bear's last stretch of life gave out, causing it to fall just before reaching Lara. She stared at it in shock, trying to catch her breath.

"Now you owe me a favor." Lara immediately looked upward to where the voice sounded.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?" she managed to ask, despite her shortness of breath. Nathan clambered down from the tree he fired from. He spoke again when he reached the ground.

"Waiting for Sully. It's gonna be a few hours, so I thought I'd just hang out with you." He reloaded his gun and slid it inside the holster that wrapped around his upper body. Lara glanced around her before grabbing Nathan by the shirt and pulling him into the nearby cave. She pinned him against the passage wall so that he was out of sight.

"When I said 'favor,' Lara, I didn't necessarily mean this," Nathan commented jokingly.

"You should not have come here!" Lara whispered sharply. "The natives don't take to outsiders very well." She released his shirt.

"Even if I'm with you?" Lara peered outside once again.

"Let's go." She strode back out, ignoring his question. He followed her out, clearly expressing his frustration with a growl. She led him back up the river, followed by the wooden walkway that lead to the village. After making sure that there was no one around, she signaled for Nathan to follow her. They quickly walked through the far end of the village, avoiding its inhabitants. Their progress proved successful until a female villager came around the corner, carrying a basket full of supplies. Nathan dove into the bushes nearby.

"Good afternoon, Lara."

"Good afternoon," responded Lara as she casually walked past the villager. As soon as she was out of sight, Nathan emerged from the bushes and rejoined Lara. He brushed a few leaves from his shoulder.

"Damn, that hurt..." Lara remained silent until they distanced themselves away from the village. Once they were in the clear, she stood before Nathan and insisted that he leave.

"I told you, I've got a few hours." He towered over her, placing his hands on his hips. Two pairs of eyes stared each other down. Lara responded finally by taking Nathan's pistol from his holster. She pointed the gun at him.

"Turn around."

"Lara-"

"Now!" she demanded, her facial features tensing up. Nathan raised his hands and turned his back to her. "Leave," she continued. "Take that mountain pass and never come back. I can't have anymore harm come to these people. They deserve to be left alone." The power in her voice faltered as every word came out.

"Look, I'm not here to do any harm. I don't intend to go near the village," he explained with a touch of nervousness in his voice. "I just need to pass the time while I wait for Sully." Lara thought for a moment. Due to lack of response, Nathan faced her again, lowering his arms. "Come on, what's the harm in doing a little exploring up here?" Lara nodded.

"Alright..." She stepped up to him and slowly placed the gun back into his holster. They share an intense moment before Lara walked past him and started to utilize the path that weaved through the mountains. "There's nothing for you to find here, though." Nathan sped up and matched her pace.

"Perhaps you haven't found everything," he asserted. He stopped her, showing her a coin, along with a grin. Lara patiently untied a pouch from her belt and emptied it into her palm, revealing a pile of Byzantine coins. Nathan pocketed his single coin with a slight frown. "Point taken." They continued onward, reaching a camp at the top of waterfall that spilled into the river below.

"Where is your friend supposed to meet you?"

"He's gonna land a helicopter. Right over there." Nathan pointed towards the top of the mountain. Lara fixed her gaze on it. She was determined to make sure that Nathan left the location.

"At least it's away from the village." Lara shifted her line of vision over the nearby mountainside to the left. A small ray of light blinded her left for a mere second before it disappeared. Lara turned and squinted until she stopped seeing shapes. Growing suspicious, she slowly continued along the path that traced around the mountainside. Nathan followed. They traversed halfway up the hill, using the path, until Lara deviated from it.

"Where are we going?" asked Nathan.

"Just keep it down." She lead him through the trees. They soon could hear voices echoing within. As they neared what Lara knew to be a cluster of Trinity soldiers, they took cover in a patch of bushes.

"How did you lose track of her?" asked a man with a hood over his head.

"You're the one who punched me in the face!" said another with black hair. He held his eye with his gloved hand.

"You idiot! You probably revealed our location to the target," said the hooded man harshly. A man with a heavy beard joined the conversation.

"The last I saw of her was when she was taking the mountain pass. We can still catch up to her and bring her to the boss."

"No," replied the hooded man. "We weren't instructed to take her in yet. Until we get our sights back on her, we should relocate further up the mountain and send a report in. Let's go." The other two men groaned and gathered their belongings, along with several others. Lara stepped out into the open once they disappeared.

"Who the hell were they?"

"Trinity," answered Lara as she picked up a broken pair of sunglasses off the ground. "This explains that light..." Nathan positioned himself in front of her, looking puzzled.

"Were they talking about you?"

"Yes." She tossed the sunglasses aside. Nathan expressed further bewilderment.

"Well, aren't you going do to something about that?" Lara scanned a nearby table, examining its contents. She noticed a bunch of empty cans and grasped one. _"God...they always leave behind such a mess."_ She then addressed Nathan's question, still looking at the tin can she held.

"I've been dealing with them for so long already. I'll fight them head on only if I have to."

"If it had been me, I'd have taken them out already," said Nathan, exhaling a laugh.

"Perhaps that's the difference between you and me," stated Lara, as she set the can down and faced Nathan. He grinned and scanned the ground at his feet.

"Well, I can see more than one difference, Lara." He gestured towards his body, then Lara's. She gave him a funny look.

"I would hope that our gender difference would've been obvious from the start." She cleared her throat and moved along, leaving Nathan to follow with amusement written all over him. The two approached a cave a few yards away.

"Never seen this one before," said Lara out loud.

"So you _haven't_ discovered everything, then." He peered inside, studying its dark depths next to Lara. "Ladies first." Choosing not to respond with words, Lara ducked inside the cave. Her eyesight adjusted as she crept further inside, while her ears picked up on some rustling deeper down. Without hesitation, Lara began to turn back.

"There's something down there. Let's get out into the open," she whispered to Nathan. Before Lara could make it all the way out, she felt something tug on her pant leg. Loosing her footing, her stomach met the ground with full force. She quickly flipped onto her back just as a wolf lunged its jaws at her neck. Using every ouch of strength in her arms, she fought against her powerful enemy, crying out in fear.

"Lara?!" shouted Nathan from the outside. Within a couple of seconds, Lara managed to grip a rock, which she used to strike the wolf's head with several times. The weight of the wolf quickly left Lara as it yelped. Lara quickly scrambled out of the cave. She and Nathan backed far away, weapons drawn. One by one, three wolves rushed out to attack. Nathan pulled the trigger of his pistol. It clicked without any result. Nathan, unloaded the magazine to find it empty. He shot Lara a slight glare.

"Seriously?!"

"Stand back!" Nathan did so, and Lara fired an arrow at the wolves. On impact, it exploded, exposing two wolves to a cloud of poison and taking them down. Lara tossed Nathan a loaded magazine, the one she had taken earlier. Nathan immediately reloaded.

"You people around here have some serious trust issues." He fired at the other wolf as two more emerged from the cave. Lara took down one with her bow while Nathan gunned down the other one. The sounds of them breathing instantly replaced the sound of gunshots being fired.

"I'm not even ashamed to admit that your tactics are starting to scare me," said Nathan at last. Lara laughed in between her panting. She could feel the sweat and dirt that cloaked her body, as well as a sensation of aching in her right forearm. Blood stained the edge of her gray shirt sleeve, which extended just past her elbow.

Lara searched her pant pocket for a piece of cloth she had salvaged. After dropping to one knee, she dabbed the blood away, revealing several shallow, yet clean cuts. She decided to untie a loose strand of cloth from her bow. With the aid of her left hand and her teeth, she managed to bind her wound inside a bandage. Her leg muscles tensed as she stood up straight.

"You okay?" Nathan scratched the back of his head as he waited for a response.

"Yes. Let's go check out the cave."

"Yes, ma'am." Nathan joined Lara at her side, allowing her independent nature to persist.

Knees bent, the two of them traversed back inside the cave. Lara cracked a glow stick, illuminating the walls around them.

"What don't you have in your inventory?" Nathan muttered under his breath. The ceiling heightened as the small passage spilled into the end of the cave. It seemed untouched by Trinity, which made sense, considering the presence of the wolves.

"There's not much here," Lara pointed out. She walked along the cave wall, leaving Nathan to wander around and examine the location.

"Ow!" Lara quickly flashed the light where she heard Nathan's voice. She found him grasping his ankle.

"Damn ditch."

"Here." Lara offered him a glow stick. Her companion accepted it.

"Thanks." Lara turned back to her investigation. A patch of dangling vines caught her eye. She carefully brushed them aside, discovering another passageway.

"I've found something, Nathan." She walked ahead, holding the light in front of her. Suddenly, the sound of a hinge rotating sounded in the silent air. A startled Lara pulled her gun and instinctively fired at a spike trap swinging down toward her. Pieces of wood crumbled to the ground. Lara's lungs begged for air as she leaned against the tunnel wall. _"Damn it, Lara. You know you have to watch your footing."_

"That was too close."

"No kidding." Nathan stood beside her, his eyes fixed on the remains of the trap. He stepped over the broken pieces, taking the lead. A metal door soon blocks their path.

"It's jammed," pointed out Nathan after trying the handle. He faced Lara. "May I?" he asked, gesturing toward a climbing axe attached to her hip. She adhered to his request. Nathan penetrated the gap between the door and the wall with the axe, reading Lara's mind. With a little bit of muscular effort, Nathan was able to bust open the door. Both he and Lara entered the room ahead. Blankets made from fur and a cauldron dangling over a fire pit were the first few things in sight.

Lara lifted a small hand-crafted notebook off of the ground. _"Survival tactics..."_ She turned a couple pages ahead and skimmed a section detailing the upkeep of a successful shelter.

"This place was probably designed for the young hunters to take refuge in."

"In case of invaders?" inquired Nathan.

"Possibly. Perhaps also in cases of extreme weather conditions," added Lara. She glanced sideways at Nathan, seeing that he was scribbling notes in a journal of his own. He caught her looking at him.

"What? You don't expect me to memorize every detail I come across, do you?" he asked.

"Not to worry." Lara showed him her journal. "You're not the only bookworm around here." Nathan crossed his arms, his journal still in his hand.

"Always a competition with you, isn't it?"

"You've got it the other way around, Drake." He chuckled.

"If you say so. Can I see that?" Lara gave him the journal she found while pocketing her own. An opportunity to have a closer look at the belongings in the shelter presented itself to Lara. She studied a few hand-made daggers, a box containing wood, an empty bucket, and a satchel hanging off of a notch in the cave wall.

Lara opened the flap of the satchel and reached inside. Her fingers clasped around a small, round object. She brought it out to the open. _"A compass?"_ Her thoughts were confirmed when she flipped it open. _"Looks valuable, probably a gift passed down from generation to generation."_ Lara returned the compass to the satchel and dug out another item. Unfolding the thin material, she found herself looking at a map, seemingly marked up with important landmarks of the Geothermal Valley. As she tucked it back inside the satchel, she checked on Nathan. She watched as he slid a piece of paper in his shirt pocket and dropped the journal on one of the fur blankets.

"What is that?"

"Just a letter. It has descriptions of Trinity." He kicked gently at the dirt on the ground.

"Put it back. It belongs to the Remnant." A blank stare met Lara. "This isn't an abandoned tomb. People live here." Nathan obeyed her without argument, although expressing irritation. Lara turned to leave the shelter.

"So how did you gain their trust?" she heard him ask behind her.

"I helped them fight Trinity when they invaded to get the artifact."

"You said they ended up destroying it in the process, right?"

"Yeah," lied Lara, recalling that telling him the truth would be pointless.

The sun began to set as they reached the outside world again. Lara chose to guide Nathan back towards the camp by the waterfall. Instead of utilizing the path, however, they cut through the wooded hillside.

"You're quiet for somebody who's curious about the world," commented Nathan. They both kept their line of sight straight ahead as they clambered over small boulders.

"If you recall our discussion about the Prophet back in the lost city, I had a lot to offer then."

"Okay. But what about small talk? You don't seem to walk in those circles much." The camp came into view.

"Perhaps not." Lara knelt down next to a stack of wood. She piled the wood strategically and placed a small amount of brush inside. Nathan continued the conversation as she dug out a box of matches from the thigh pocket of her cargo pants.

"What first got you into history?" Fire pierced the fading light of the sky. Lara leaned back into a sitting position. She hesitated before opening up.

"My father. He...he was so passionate about history. He loved telling me stories about his findings..." She crossed her legs. "And I loved hearing about them. Soon enough, that's when I began studying history." She left it at that, choosing not to go into further detail about her father.

"What about you?" Nathan cleared his throat.

"I guess you could say that it runs in the family." His journal was clenched in one hand. "Unfortunately, people don't really see the value in discovering artifacts or 'treasure hunting' as they call it." Lara fed the fire small twigs as he spoke. A steady breeze rode the air. "I'm just glad to have met somebody who understands my curiosity. Others, they just don't get it. They don't understand that part of me..." He flipped open his journal and stroked a some kind of object that was attached to a page by a paperclip."Yet, they seem to understand everything else."

After a moment passed, he laid his eyes on Lara. His brief speech left Lara clearly confused about this unexpected twist in his personality. She stared downward, searching her mind for words to say. The flames from the campfire flickered within her deep brown eyes. The light bounced nicely off of her soft-looking skin.

Nathan smiled in amusement and closed his journal. Leaning in, he sought Lara's lips. He found his mark, lightly brushing his lips against hers. Nathan gently moved even closer. Lara dipped her head down at an angle, causing Nathan to miss and make contact with her cheek this time instead. He backed off and studied her expression. She looked conflicted. Hoping to ease the tension within her, Nathan lifted her chin up with his finger and swooped in for another kiss.

"Nathan..." He paused and met her eyes with his own, lowering his arm. It took Lara a few seconds to speak.

"I can't do this. I've got to focus on my research." Nathan raised his eyebrows.

"You wouldn't even like to escape it all for a moment?" _"Escape it all? What does he mean?"_ Lara shook her head, making eye-contact with him finally. A grin stretched across her lips.

"Not for a second. It gives me purpose...and that's what's important to me right now." Nathan sat up straight, a little disappointed.

"Fair enough." A minute of awkward silence crept up on them. Nathan finally rose to his feet.

"I should try to get a signal out to Sully. He should be getting here soon." Lara nodded as he pulled out his radio and stepped away into the darkness. Lara turned to her journal in order to distract herself from the uneasy feelings drifting about in her mind. For a few minutes, she gladly reviewed the numerous entries, filled with research. The crackle of Nathan's radio sounded nearby.

"I don't get it. He's not responding over the radio." Lara opened her mouth to speak, but was immediately interrupted by a loud crashing sound. The noise drew their attention towards the top of the mountain.

"What the hell?" Nathan jumped to his feet and rushed towards the source of the disturbance. Lara wasted no time catching up to him. Little words were passed between the two of them in the five minutes it took to reach the top. The first sign of trouble was black smoke. They quickly discovered a wrecked plane on the flat stretch of landscape that made up the top.

"Holy shit!" uttered out Nathan, beginning to step closer to the wreckage. He was stopped by Lara, who spotted a Trinity soldier investigating the interior of the plane through a giant hole in the side.

"Find the pilot! He probably came for Croft," he shouted. Those words proved to be his last, since Nathan had sent a bullet flying into his skull.

"What was that?!" Another soldier appeared around the corner of the aircraft. Nathan charged at him, shooting and missing his target. Out of ammo, he threw his gun to the ground and tackled the soldier. Lara had no choice but to advance towards them, drawing her bow. She barely took three steps forward before another soldier swung his leg violently into her stomach. Lara collapsed to the ground, completely taken off guard. Oxygen struggled to find its way back into her lungs. Her assailant lifted her to her feet, locking her arms behind her. A pistol from yet another soldier was pointed at her.

"Don't shoot her," instructed the soldier who keeping Lara confined.

"What do we do with her then?" the other asked.

"Give her the sedative." Lara struggled against her captor's strength as the other soldier withdrew his gun and assembled a small needle. She forcefully kicked him away with both feet. Following this, she thrust her elbow into her captor's ribs. His grip on her loosened, allowing her to turn slightly sideways and ram him into a nearby tree. Her arms finally free, she punched him in the face, forcing him to the ground. She finished him off with her pistol and turned to meet her other opponent.

"Stop right there!" demanded the soldier, his gun trained on Lara once again. It only took a second before he was gunned down. Lara glanced to her right and saw Nathan, armed with a rifle. Two more enemies advanced towards them. Just as quickly as Lara and Nathan met their foes' eyes did they finish them off with their firepower. When the fighting had ceased, Nathan dropped his weapon and addressed Lara.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just got the wind knocked out of me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," he responded hazily. His appearance said otherwise. His face was stained with blood, while his stance looked weary. Lara attempted to steady him as he stumbled towards the plane, which was slowly being engulfed by flames.

"Sully?!" Lara kept watch outside of the plane as Nathan searched it. "Sully! Where are you?!" She dreadfully listened to him dig through the debris.

"Over here, kid!" Lara watched as an older man emerge out of the woods that ran down all sides of the mountain. Nathan ran past Lara.

"Sully! What the hell happened?"

"The damn engine shorted out. I'm lucky I landed it the way I did." Dirt covered Sully's body in patches.

"So it had nothing to do with Trinity? Those mercenaries you've been tracking?" asked Nathan.

"Hell no! They showed up within minutes of the crash. Had to sneak away." Sully lit a cigar at seemingly the most inopportune time. "Who's your friend, Nate?" he asked.

"Um, this is Lara. Lara Croft." A wide grin spread across Sully's face.

"Well, I'll be damned. The one and only daughter of Richard Croft himself?" Lara offered her hand politely.

"A pleasure to meet you." Sully took it.

"The pleasure's all mine." Nathan cleared his throat. Sully released Lara's hand.

"Jesus, Nate, how on earth do you get more beat up than me? I'm the one who crashed a goddamn plane." Nathan chuckled.

"You know me, Sully. Reckless as ever." Sully threw his cigar into the dirt and stomped on it.

"I'm gonna go salvage whatever I can of my things before the goddamn thing explodes," said Sully.

"I suppose we'll work out a way to get out of here when you get back...Don't go far, old man," responded Nathan. While Sully busied himself with the plane, Nathan retrieved his gun and studied the body of a Trinity soldier.

"I suppose you're staying with the people here?" guessed Nathan. Lara remained standing with her arms crossed.

"For a little while, at least." Nathan stroked the patch of Trinity's symbol, sewn onto the shoulder part of the soldier's jacket. Recognizing the symbol, Nathan consulted his journal to verify. A loose object fluttered to the ground. Lara caught a glimpse of a blond woman as Nathan swiftly scooped it up.

"Who is she?" An unfamiliar pair of solemn eyes fell upon Lara, then back to the photo.

"Nobody," Nathan whispered finally. He fixed his gaze on the ground, still on one knee. Suddenly, this side of him made sense. _"He must have been referring to her when he was talking about someone understanding 'everything else' about him..."_ Lara knelt down beside him.

"Do you miss her?" He nodded.

"Like crazy."

"Why don't you go see her?"

"It's been almost a year." Nathan stood up and distanced himself. "We've been on and off for so long. Elena and I. So many years." He turned back to Lara. "I can't take the inconsistency anymore. I don't even know why I still carry this." He pitched the photo for the ground to catch. Lara picked it up and offered it to him. He refused it.

"She'll never accept the fact that I can't make the time for-"

"There's nothing here for you, Nathan. You need to put your efforts where they matter." Lara knew more than anything just how precious time with loved ones is. Nathan hesitated to speak. His gaze rested on Lara's presence.

"To me, what matters is here. Exploring...with someone that understands the world like I do."

"Nathan..." Her eyes begged him to stop saying such things. Refusing to further delay time, Nathan stepped up to Lara and pulled her to him at the same time. Before Lara could protest, they become locked in a kiss. Nathan's tongue slips into Lara's mouth. He cradled the arch of her back in his arms, while Lara's arms rested on his shoulders. Lara's sense of reasoning clashed with the sudden emotions spreading throughout her body. The feeling of her fingers fumbling with the photo brought her back to reality. She knew that there was no feelings of love there. Desire was clouding Nathan's judgment. It was the only emotion that made sense between a man and a women that were temporarily isolated from civilization. Lara pushed him away. A brief moment passed before she held out the photo for Nathan to take. She breathed heavily.

"Just because I see the world in similar ways that you do, it doesn't mean I understand you any better." Nathan was clearly flushed with disarray. "You can't give up, not now that you've gone so long...whether it was with or without her all those years." Lara waited as the gears turned in Nathan's head. He finally took the picture, although reluctantly. "You should go see her and sort things out," Lara insisted. She extracted the pouch full of coins from her belt.

"I'll trade you for that coin of yours." The grave look on Nathan's face transitioned into one of confusion. "I owe you a favor, remember?" Nathan laughed.

"Lara, this just isn't-"

"Have you come across the Soviet installation just west of here before?" Nathan nodded. Lara gripped his hand and placed the pouch in his palm. "If you move fast enough. You should be able to catch a man in the shelter down there before he clears out. He can arrange a way for you to get home if you pay him." Nathan pulled his single coin from his own pocket. He took a deep breathe and smiled lightly, shooting her a glance as he held out the coin.

"No hard feelings?" Amusement spread over Lara's face as she shook her head. She strode past where he was standing, taking the coin on her way.

"Get the hell out of here, Drake. Before the natives kill you." She continued on her way, folding her fingers over the Byzantine coin in her palm.

"How do I know you're not just trying to shake me off of your path? You never told me what you're after." Lara gave him a final look as her lips stretched into a slight smirk.

"Leave it to me to worry about that." She strode onward.

"I'm not even gonna lie and pretend I didn't hear any of that," said Sully, who was approaching Nathan from behind. He looked at Nathan. "Say, since you got your girl back home, do you mind if I..." Sully gestured toward Lara. Nathan chuckled.

"She's my age, Sully! If not younger." The two men continued their argument as the began to travel away from the plane.

Minutes away from the sight, Lara held her radio close to her lips.

"Sofia? It's Lara." The radio crackled.

"How's everything going, Lara?"

"Great. I was wondering if we could talk. About what I've found throughout the valley."

"I would be happy to." Lara smiled.

"I'll meet you in the village, Sofia. I'm headed there now." The steady wind picked up, coincidentally reflecting Lara's determined attitude. She clipped her radio to her back pocket and headed for the Remnant with purpose, along with a feeling of relief accompanying her. Knowing that Nathan was heading his own way for his own purpose allowed for such a feeling. Most of all, knowing that she was free to go the way she chose, without allowing anyone or anything to hinder her was comforting. This always brought forth a sense of independence in her life, something she never grew tired of.


	3. The Last Stretch

The third and final chapter of this series! More characters from both games are included! I apologize if those of you who were reading were hoping for this to go in a different direction. I wrote the characters' interactions in ways that I felt would be more realistic in regards to their personalities. As always, thanks for the support! I hope you enjoy this last chapter! I'm always open to ideas that involve the following games: Any Tomb Raider games, Uncharted games, Dragon Age Origins/Inquisition, the Wolf Among Us, the Last of Us, and Resident Evil 6. Let me know what you would like me to write about next!

"Damn it!" Jonah silently observed as Lara threw her spare clothing out of her suitcase. She steadied herself as she paced across the small stretch of flooring inside the helicopter. Checking another bag, she continued to speak to herself.

"Where did I drop it?" She stopped to think for a minute. "I had it with me back at that camp...I didn't even take it out when Sofia and I were talking."

"Relax, Lara, I'm sure we'll find it when we land. It's probably in the back compartment somewhere," assured Jonah. He fiddled with a rope, tying it into knots, something he often did to occupy himself. A black sporty jacket draped over his t-shirt. He scratched his head, digging his fingernails in the roots of his dark hair that was fairly short. Lara sat down next to him in a heap of frustration.

"I know I took it with me, away from the camp...But I don't remember taking it out of my pocket since then."

"We'll find your father's journal." Jonah got up and dug a box of protein bars out from under the seat across from him. "When's the last time you've eaten?"

"I'm fine, Jonah. I don't have much of an appetite right now," responded Lara, dismissing his question. Jonah rejoined her, holding out a bar for her. Lara shifted her gaze on Jonah.

"Don't make me say 'here comes the airplane!'" warned Jonah. Lara couldn't hold back her smile. "You know I'll do it." Lara quickly accepted the protein bar. As she began to unwrap it, a voice emerged from the cockpit.

"I'm sure that young girl can take care of herself just fine," the pilot stated humorously. Both Lara and Jonah giggled at his comment. Crumbling the wrapper inside her fist, Lara chewed the last portion of the mix of choclate and oatmeal. She tucked the wrapper inside a plastic bag dedicated to collecting garbage, proceeded to pick up her clothes and neatly placed them back inside of her suitcase. Meanwhile, Jonah made a departure from his seat to engage in a conversation with the pilot.

Clutching a clean shirt, much like the gray one she was already wearing, and a gray pair of cargo pants, Lara headed for the back of the aircraft. She pulled the curtain behind her. Her sore body ached with pain as she delicately peeled her dirty clothes off. With the aid of a bottle of water and a rag, Lara was able to clean most of the dirt that was slathered across her arms, neck, and face. It was unbelievable, even to her, that she had waited this long to get cleaned up; she had been on the helicopter for a least an hour now! She pulled clean pants over her legs and decided to untie the bandage that concealed the deep wound on her arm. Dry chips of blood littered the edges of each cut. As ugly as it looked, Lara was relieved to see that it was healing. She dashed it with some water and carefully wiped away the dry blood before grabbing the first aid kit.

Once her wound was cleansed and re-bandaged, Lara finally pulled the clean blue shirt over her head and freshened up with deodorant. As best as she could, she fixed the messy brown locks that always seemed to escape her ponytail. She stared back at herself in the mirror.

 _"You killed my father, didn't you?"_

 _"Trinity ordered his execution, but I couldn't do it."_

 _"You're lying!" Ana shook her head. Tears glazed over her eyes._

 _"I loved him.-" A sniper rifle bullet pierced her heart before she could deliver another word._

 _"No!"_

Lara clutched the shelf in front of her, much like that day. That day she clutched the boulder as she watched Ana's body fall into the white snow, staining it with her blood. Even the only thing close to family she thought she had left turned out to be tangled in this whole mess with Trinity. Reality slowly came back into focus.

Lara's missing journal drifted back into her thoughts. The feeling of disappointment flooded her heart when she failed to locate it in the back comparment. She pulled the curtain back and left the small space.

"There's my Little Bird!" said Jonah delightfully. Lara took a seat next to him and offered him a mere attempt at a smile.

"Feeling better?"

"A little bit." responded Lara. She massaged her ankle as she gazed over the landscape below her.

"Cluster 7? Do you read?" Both Lara and Jonah glanced towards the radio attached to Lara's hip. "Cluster 7?" Lara unclipped it and held it close to her ear. _"It's unbelievable how Trinity hasn't figured out that I'm able to listen to their channel."_

"Cluster 10 here. Cluster 7 had a little trouble with Croft and Drake. Only one soldier from Cluster 7 survived. We cleared the crash sight after our advesaries left and recovered a small book, most likely belonging to Croft." Lara's eyebrows raised. "We're arranging for it to be delivered to the following coordinates at one of our bases on the east coast of the United States..." Quickly grabbing a pen and paper, Lara duplicated the numbers that the Trinity soldier had listed. "It should arrive within 48 hours in the research room to be interpreted."

"Copy that, Cluster 10." The helicopter returned to silence for a brief period of time.

"This is somewhere north along the east coast, Jonah. Very north. Close to-" Lara looked up from the coordinates. "Close to New York," she finished. Jonah tried his best to hold back a hysterical smirk.

"She's gonna be so pissed," he said.

"I'm gonna go tell the pilot to change our course," replied Lara in a rushed manner.

~Time Lapse~

The strap of Lara's backpack dug into her shoulder. The powerful rays of the sun pierced the pores of her skin. Discomfort accompanied Lara for the seemingly long walk ahead through the outer streets of New York City.

"Just another block," announced Jonah, who was squinting beside her. Lara breathed with anticipation. This wasn't going to be easy. They halted at a red-tinted four story apartment complex.

"You ready for this?" asked Jonah.

"As ready as I'll ever be." The door buzzed as Lara pressed the proper button. The voice of Joslin Reyes's daughter came over the mic.

"Who is it?" The microphone clickd back on immediately.

"Alisha! How many times do I have to tell you not to answer this thing?! Hello? Who is it?"

"Reyes, it's Lara. Jonah's here too. Can we come up?"

"Guess I don't have much of a choice. Come on up." The door clicked, granting them access inside. After climbing several flights of stairs and halfway down a hall, Lara and Jonah reached their destination on the third floor. Without much delay, Reyes answered the light taps at her door. She immediately eyed up Lara's backpack and the piece of paper in her hand. She then moved aside to let her visitors into her apartment.

"So what brings you here?" Jonah took a seat nearby at the kitchen table while Lara remained standing in the living room with Reyes.

"Well it's kind of complicated," began Lara.

"That's never good coming from you," retorted Reyes. Lara took a deep breath. _"Here we go..."_ She opened her mouth to continue.

"Lara!" Alisha collided with her, embracing her in a hug.

"How are you doing Alisha? My goodness, your hair has gotten so long!" said Lara pleasantly, while hugging her back.

"I'm good! Have you been anywhere cool lately?" Lara observed Reyes as she crossed her arms impatiently.

"Yes. How about if I tell you about it some other time so I can talk to your mother?"

"Go finish your homework, honey," instructed Reyes. Slight disappointment shaded over Alisha's delightful mood.

"All right..." she muttered, disappearing into the poorly lit hallway.

"Okay, listen, Reyes," said Lara, deciding to rip the bandage right off. "I need your help locating these coordinates. That's all." Reyes took the paper from her hands and studied it with apparent skepticism. As she read the numbers, Lara noticed a pile of dishes that was submerged in dish soap in the kitchen sink, then leftovers, possibly from lunch on this Sunday afternoon, that remained on the kitchen table. Reyes finally peered at Lara.

"You do realize that in order to find this place, I'm gonna have to break into my old office at the police department, right?" Lara cringed.

"I was hoping you wouldn't have to say that..." Reyes returned the paper back to her.

"Well, luckily for you, it's not that far from here. The only thing I need to know is what this is for." Lara nervously folded the paper in her hands.

"There's just something there that I need to get back."

"So, I'm not risking my soul to help you? No cults?" The level of tension in the room rose higher every secone that Lara hesitated.

"You won't have to worry about any of that, Reyes." After another brief moment, Lara was relieved to see that she had convinced Reyes to help.

"All right. Give me ten minutes to gather my things." Reyes headed toward her bedroom, leaving Lara and Jonah to wait by the door.

Soon enough, they had all said goodbye to Alisha. Reyes promised her that she would be back shortly, before closing the door behind her. They hit the streets in silence.

~Time Lapse~

"So how are we getting in, Reyes?" asked Jonah.

"If my estimates are right, there should be one guy at the front desk, and about two others in their own offices. It's one of the smaller stations. The guy that has my office now should be on duty somewhere else," explained Reyes, pulling the hood of her orange sweatshirt over her head, which hardly concealed her volumized curly hair.

"Wait. We're going straight in there?" Lara motioned towards the door, only a few yards away, with subtle disbelief.

"Yes, Lara. Sometimes you have to face the obstacle head on instead of climbing around it." As usual, Lara declined to make a comment back to Reyes.

"Here's the plan," continued Reyes. "There's a bulletin inside with job listings. Lara, you will make conversation about it with the guy at the front desk. Jonah, you will watch the right side. When it's clear, scratch your nose while looking out this door and I'll head in."

"What about cameras?" mentioned Jonah.

"There's only one directed at the front desk. I'll slip past its line of sight. You guys ready?"

"Let's do it. I'll pull you away when Reyes is finished," Jonah told Lara. She gently nodded her head.

"Okay. Let's go," she said. Jonah led the way. Within seconds, he was holding the door open for Lara, who then crossed the threshold. Putting on a small smile, she greeted the officer sitting at the desk and searched for the job listings. She found a scarce collection of them hanging on a wall to the left. She scanned over the details for a minute, then proceeded to approach the officer. The dim lighting in the room barely revealed much of his face. Other than the lights peeking through the blinds of a few closed off offices towards the back and the windows near the glass door, the rest of the location remained relatively dark.

"Is there something I can do for you, miss?" asked the officer. He combed his fingers back through his slick blond hair. Lara leaned against the counter, trying to seem as casual as possible.

"Yes, sir. I see that you have some job listings over here, and I had a question about one of them." The officer straightened his posture. The name sewn onto his uniform came into view.

"That's not really my job, but I'll see if I can help." A charming smile formed from Lara's lips.

"Great." She led Officer S. Bradley to the bulletin board. As soon as Bradley began to turn from the door, Jonah gave the signal.

"What's your question?" Lara gestured towards one of the listings.

"I'm interested in this job opportunity, but there's no phone number provided." She gave Bradley a moment to scrutinize every line of the page. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reyes picking the lock to the first office on the right.

"No. There isn't."

"Perhaps there's a copy with the phone number on it?"

"I believe that's the only posting for that job, ma'am."

"Is there a way for you to find the phone number?" The officer thought for a moment.

"I'll look up the company name." Heart beginning to race, Lara followed him back to his desk. Luckily, Reyes had slipped inside. Bradley took a few minutes to browse the internet until he discovered the right webpage.

"Found it. I'll write it down for you," he informed.

"Thanks." Lara glanced to her right. _"Reyes must still be in there..."_

"Here you are, miss. Was that everything you needed?"

"Um, no, actually," Lara said quickly, racking her brain for something else to say. "Could you tell me if they have any other information on that website?"

"What kind of information?"

"More description on the job itself, perhaps?" The officer hesitated, but then ducked back into his computer screen for another minute.

"Hey Bradley." Lara panicked internally as another officer came outside of his office. He positioned himself behind Officer Bradley. "Any word on the new case on Lean Avenue?" Lara refused to look back towards the office door, for she feared drawing attention to it.

"I haven't heard much, yet." Jonah grasped Lara's arm.

"We're gonna be late for the movie," he said, loudly enough for both officers to hear. Lara shrugged as though she was embarrassed and thanked Bradley for his help. He smiled at her for the first and last time. Relief flowed through the air outside. Jonah and Lara quickly caught up to Reyes, who waited by a light pole two blocks away.

"Did you find it?" asked Lara. Reyes pulled her hood down and crossed her arms.

"Yes. I did."

"So?" Reyes leaned against the pole. Her body seemed tense.

"Lara, who the hell are you dealing with?" A puzzled expression formed on Lara's face.

"What do you m-"

"As I was searching the coordinates, the signal was breached and shut down just after I got a glimpse of it. They'll know you're coming for sure and they'll damn sure figure out how it was traced!" Reyes sighed and carried on with her rant. "So let me ask you again, who are you dealing with?"

"Trinity..."

"Who the hell is Trinity?" Lara hesitated to break the truth to her.

"They're an ancient organization who aims to protect the many secrets of the world for the benefit of somehow using it to gain power for themselves. They don't care who gets in their way..."

Reyes no longer held back her aggravation.

"Shit!" Lara cut back in.

"I'll find a way around them, Reyes. You won't have to worry about it."

"Like hell, I won't! If I don't get there at least within two hours, they'll have translated the signal to find out the police department's locaton! I can't have that weight on my shoulders!"

"I'm sorry, Reyes. I had no idea that this could happen," said Lara at a low volume. Reyes took a deep breath.

"I know, Lara. But regardless, I'm gonna have to come with you to delete that signal from their security system. So let's get a move on." Lara tailed her, squeezing the paper containing the phone number she had just gotten tightly within her sweaty palms. Reyes speed-walked ahead, forcing Lara and Jonah to jog forward to catch up. They rushed through every crosswalk, despite the heavy traffic.

"She really seems to know how to move quickly around here," remarked Jonah. Lara agreed, trying to allow her heightened adrenaline to decline. A few vendors along the street attempted to display their products for Reyes, but she ignored them. Her apartment building soon came into view.

"Okay. Meet me on the corner of 16th Street and Park Road, exactly at 2:00. It's only a few blocks away. We'll head for the coordinates and I'll cut the incoming signal from the police station and leave. Understood?" A slight attitude clouded Lara as she nodded.

"Good." Reyes crept back into her building.

"Come on. Let's go get some coffee." Though it was the last thing she wanted on this hot day, Lara followed Jonah on the off-white sidewalk. They stepped into a cafe nearby. Jonah requested coffee while Lara ordered water. Shadows of passing cars flashed repeatedly along the windows. The majority of the people inside were enjoying iced coffees.

"Everything okay, Lara?" The young woman was quite surprised that her companion noticed the sick feeling growing inside of her.

"Yeah...I just didn't mean for Reyes to get involved in all of this. All over again."

"I know." Lara finally faced him.

"You do know that you don't have to come with me, right?"

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Little Bird." Lara's mood immediately elevated and Jonah could sense it. Lara relaxed and let her thoughts float out in the open. _"What am I going to find at those coordinates? I hope the place isn't crawling with Trinity's soldiers."_ She took another sip of her water and continued to phase in and out.

"You ready to get going?" asked Jonah.

"Yeah." They walked back out into the streets. The bright sun caught their eyes by suprise. Lara checked her watch once they had arrived at the place they were instructed to go. They waited for a few minutes until a small dark blue car pulled up next to them. The body of the car was aged, however, anyone could tell the engine was relatively new. The window rolled down.

"Hop in," said Reyes from behind the wheel. Jonah crawled into the passenger seat while Lara took a spot behind Reyes.

"I plugged the address into my phone. Take a look." Jonah took the phone from Reyes. Lara examined it over his shoulder.

"It looks like there's a dumpster with a chute that lines up with it on the right side of the building in front there. That could be your way in," explained Jonah, trying to study the sattelite view on the screen despite the glare coming from the window.

"Probably the quietest way in," agreed Reyes. "Let's just hope there's no cameras around back." No more than ten minutes have passed before Reyes stopped the car. Just to the right of them sat two buildings, one positioned right behind the other. They both looked about seven stories tall. The bricks gave off a light tan color.

"Stay with the car, Jonah." Reyes handed him the keys and left the vehicle. Lara allowed her to maintain initiative.

"We'll be back soon, Jonah," ensured Lara, as she clambered out of the car. She quickly caught up with Reyes.

"There doesn't seem to be any surveillance along this side. It's probably all indoors."

"Right," replied Lara. Cautiously, the two women neared the dumpster by the first building.

"Get the other side, Lara." The rusted wheels of the dumpster screeched as they moved it out from under the duct. Reyes wasted no time climbing inside. Lara waited to hear her voice. She first heard rattling from within.

"Damn, it's locked from the other side." A frustrated Reyes dropped out of the chute. Dust evaporated in the air as she clapped her hands together repeatedly.

"Your time to shine, Lara." Lara took the opportunity to look for an alternative. A drain pipe immediately caught her eye. Even better, above it sat a small window.

"I've got it." Reyes watched her shake the pipe, testing its stability.

"Just keep it down when you get inside," she warned as Lara began to climb. Slowly, she traversed towards the second floor. Only until she was about two-thirds of the way up did danger rear its ugly head. When a few bolts threatened to break loose, she felt a pit in her stomach. Trying to shift as little as possible, Lara kept going, hoping and praying that the window would be open. Placing a free hand against the glass, she pushed forward, and the window swung inward with ease.

Lara finally lifted herself inside, planting her feet on the solid flooring of an empty office. _"What kind of operation are they running here?"_ She opened a door that let out into a hallway and scrutinized the walls for any sign of direction. Without too much delay, she discovered arrows that directed her to a nearby staircase. She climbed them back down to the ground floor. The metal gate of the garbage chute quickly came into view.

"Shit..." Lara took cover around the corner as a man, dressed in a standard black suit, zipped right past the chute, traveling towards her. Softly placing her bag on the ground, she extracted the only weapon she had brought with her, besides a climbing axe. As the man's footsteps drifted very close to her, she stepped out and hit him with full force, using the handle end of her gun. Her opponent attempted to rebound, holding his face in his hands. Lara grabbed his head and bashed him again, this time with her knee. He collapsed, passed out cold. Grabbing her pack, Lara moved on, not particularly desiring to watch the blood drip from the man's nose. Plunging her axe into the rusted lock, she pried until it busted. Reyes emerged from the chute.

"All right. Time to find a floor key. Ah, there it is!" They both narrowed their vision in order to read the near-defaced lettering.

"Security is on the second floor," pointed out Reyes.

"I'm going to try 'Library' on the fourth floor," announced Lara. Both proceeded to execute their plans. After carefully getting on an elevator, Reyes pushed the button for the second floor.

"As soon as I break the signal, I'm getting out of here," she said. "I'll cut the cameras if I can but that's it. I'm out."

"Thank you." Not another word was spoken for the moment. The elevator bell sounded, causing both women to simultaneously draw the pistols and brace themselves for combat. When it seemed clear, Reyes stepped off.

"Don't get yourself into trouble, Lara." The door slid shut. Taking a deep breath, Lara pushed the button for the fourth floor and ensured that the silencer on her pistol was secure. _Ding!_ She slowly peeked outside of the elevator, axe in one hand, pistol in the other. _"No signs of direction up here..."_ She chose to go left and pressed her ear against the first door she came across. Not a sound reached her auditory system, so she gently cracked the door open. Nothing. Moving along towards the end of the hall, she began to hear voices up ahead.

"Where have you been?"

"Just came back from South America. We pursued this privately funded expedition and took them out. Clueless raiders. Couldn't even put up a fight. They had no way of defending themselves. _"Killing innocent people as usual..."_ Lara thought to herself bitterly. She continued around the corner, passing the room from which the voices emerged from. _"Best to look around before trying that room."  
_ She rounded the next corner.

"Hey!" Lara nearly collided head on with yet another member of Trinity. He snatched her arm. He let go when she pierced his side with her axe.

"Ahh!-" The man's screams were interrupted by the handle of the axe pressing against his throat. Lara pulled from behind, trying to cut off his airways. Within a minute, he sank to the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" Lara retrieved her gun from the floor and fired several bullets as two other men flew around the corner. Once they fell, she reloaded, collected her axe, and pressed forward. No door proved promising on the way, so Lara was left to proceed through the double doors at the end of the long stretch. A well-lit room, filled with shelves upon shelves of papers and folders lied beyond the doors. _"This could be the research room."_ She selected an aisle and looked closer at the content on the shelves. _"Of course, historical stuff that I don't have time to read."_ Lara was brought back to reality when she heard footsteps a few shelves over. Quietly, she made her way closer to them. Only a shelf now separated her and the other person in the room. Through a small gap in the folders, Lara caught a glimpse of her target. This one wasn't wearing a suit, but instead a tainted white cargo-style shirt. Maneuvering around the barrier that separated them, Lara cast her eyes over the full figure of the man. Bewilderment came crashing overhead when she realized that she was looking at Nathan Drake himself. Worst yet, her journal was tucked under his arm. Abandoning her hiding place, she dropped her axe to the floor, giving Nathan just enough time to turn around before she pinned him to a shelf. His head collided with a few books and folders, knocking them off.

"Jesus! Can't you ever casually approach a person?" Lacking patience to begin with, Lara pressed her pistol into his chest.

"Lara-"  
"Drop the journal!" She whispered sharply.  
"I need it!"  
"Drop it!" Her journal hit the floor. "Why the hell are you helping Trinity?!"  
"I didn't have a choice. They took Elena!" Lara's intensity diminished.  
"What?"  
"I was given the journal. They told me to bring it here alone and unarmed or they would hurt her."  
"But why you?"  
"Wish I knew." It suddenly dawned on Lara, even as she had asked the previous question. She pulled her gun away and grabbed her journal.  
"It won't end with giving them the journal. They're gonna want to get more information out of you." Nathan's looked at her with his restless eyes.  
"How can you be sure?"  
"It's the only explanation as to why they didn't just take it for themselves. They must have figured since they've seen you with me that you might know something." Nathan smirked, but not in his usual way. A small touch of worry went with it.  
"Damn. It's usually me that gets other people into trouble."  
"I can only imagine," mumbled lara. Nathan stepped towards her.  
"I'm still going to need that journal." Lara held it tightly against her body.  
"There has to be another way, they're not just gonna let you go."  
"What other option is there?" Lara placed her precious research inside of her bag and offered her axe to Nathan.  
"Take this. I'll help you get Elena out of here." The sound of a door opening and shutting echoed from the other side of the room. Together, they each hurried to hide behind the side of a shelf.  
"What's taking so long for him to get here? I thought you said you sent him up?" A radio clicked before a response came.  
"He should be there. Maybe he got lost. I'll tell Dave to look for him in the halls on your floor. Why don't you check the library?"  
"I'm already there." The man now came into view. Lara looked to Nathan for a plan.  
"I'll take care of him," he mouthed to her. Lara nodded and stayed put. She kept her eyes on the younger-looking man as he searched the room. To her dismay, he noticed the fallen books just a couple of feet from her. Fortunately, Nathan had locked his throat with the axe from behind before Lara could be discovered. She looked away as he choked to death, or at least until he was unconscious. The man's radio clicked.  
"Kurt! We've found some bodies on the your floor!"

"Shit!" Lara ignored Nathan's continuous cursing under his breath and focused on deciding what to do.

"Kurt, are you there?!"

"Do you know where they are keeping her?" Lara asked Nathan.

"They told me to head over to the next building this way." He indicated the direction with his finger. The radio buzzed to life again, sending surges of panic through the both of them.

"Head over and check on him, Dave."

"Yes sir." Grasping a broom from nearby, Lara thrust it through the handles of the double doors.

"Help me with this." Nathan aided her in sliding a rather heavy but short shelf that sat against the same walls as the doors.

"Let's get going," said Nathan, once the deed was done. He sprinted ahead to the single door at the other side. The door led out into an enclosed bridge-like structure that connected the two buildings. The two hurried for the other side. No time allowed for taking a gander at the picturesque view of the rest of the city. The door on the other side opened as they neared it. The enemy they soon faced immediately spotted them and equipped his radio.

"Hey Jim, we've got a-" His body hit the floor, blood flowing from his head. The folder he was holding let loose all the papers it contained. Documented research littered the area. Lara reloaded as they kept running. They snuck into the other building.

"The Records Office is somewhere over there," Nathan said, following the signs. Within a minute, they arrived, free of combat among the way. Two ears pressed against the closed door.

"We're going to have a chat when our messenger arrives any minute. Give us the information we need, and you walk out of here, free to go."

"What information?" asked a shaky voice.

"Don't worry, we'll help you bring it all to the surface soon enough." Nathan busted the door open and lunged for the only guy inside. Lara closed the door and scanned the room for an escape. Only a small glass pane was built into the wall. Nathan straightened up, splattered with blood.

"Elena?!" He practically hugged a closet-like structure to Lara's right, attempting to breathe in any word from the voice within.

"Nathan?!"

"I'm here." Lara plucked a key from the dead guard and gave it to Nathan. She re-assumed her post by the door. Nathan impatiently unlocked the closet and flung the door open. Elena was in his arms within one step of exiting. He still clutched the axe in his hand.

"Are you okay?" Elena brutally shoved him off of her.

"What the hell, Nathan?! I knew it! I knew this was your doing!"

"I didn't intend for any-"

"I keep telling you to give this up! It's way too-"

"You know I can't do that. And I know you can't either." Elena fell silent. Light bounced off of the dry trails of her tears. Her blond locks were tied back into a bun. "But none of that matters, because this isn't about history or artifacts. I've come to get you back and we're never separating again." Elena gestured towards Lara.

"So you've brought another woman to help you? Another lady-friend of yours?"

"No, this is Lara. She came here to get something of her own back, and we bumped into each other. She helped me get to you."

"It's good to see that you're doing okay, Elena," said Lara finally. _Boom!_ The door busted open, startling everyone in the room. Reyes charged in and pointed her gun at Nathan.

"Get back!"

"Reyes, stop! This is Nathan." Reyes clenched her jaw.

"Lara, if you're telling me that I came all the way back here just to see you tracking down some guy, I swear-"

"I came here for my father's journal, which I have now." Reyes rolled her eyes.

"Whatever the case may be, we need to get out of here now. They're breaking through. The fire escape should only open from the inside, so that's probably our safest way out. We'll figure out who's who later." Lara, Nathan, and Elena complied with her demands. Reyes led them out of the room and to the left. Just as they rounded a corner, a small group of Trinity members came running into the building and quickly marched towards them.

"They have guns," announced Lara. "Head down now." Nathan grabbed Elena's wrist and led her down the stairs. Shots began ringing out. Lara and Reyes gunned down all except one.

Reyes turned and scrambled down the stairs, leaving the last one up to Lara. His large, muscular figure barely fit into his suit. Lara's last bullet missed, so she took cover behind the door to the fire escape. When her advesary came in range, she slammed his face with the door, then swung her fist at him. He caught it in his hand, holding his nose with the other one, and kicked her in the side with extraordinary force. Lara lost her balance, causing her to plummet down the first flight of stairs. Her back hit the wall of the third floor. The rough cement flooring scraped the back of her shoulder. Moving her hands from her head, she sprung back to her feet. Her enemy reached out to grab her. She ducked, presenting herself with the opportunity to slide behind and kick the back of his knee. He grunted in pain as he was forced to kneel down. Lara unholstered her gun and struck him with it. She sprinted down the remainder of the stairs, refusing to look back. She made it across the grass and dove into the backseat of Reyes's car.

"Stomp on it, Jonah!" instructed Reyes from the passenger seat. The tires screeched, sounding as though they were tearing up the street as they peeled away from the place. Nobody came running out of the buildings.

"How did we get two more people than we came with?" asked Jonah.

"The name's Nathan. This is Elena."

"I'm Jonah."

"For the sake of my sanity, we're all just going to pretend that I don't know Nathan," remarked Elena. Nathan gaped next to her with bewilderment.

"Did you get the journal, Lara?" Jonah asked.

"Yes." Confusion reigned over nearly everyone in the vehicle. Silence ruled them until Jonah hit the breaks and parked in front of a convenience store. Everyone filed out of the car. Reyes requested her keys from Jonah and prepared to get in the driver's seat.

"Reyes-" began Lara. Reyes shot her a blank stare. "Thank you. I'm sorry for g-"

"Save it, Lara." She hopped into her car and shut the door. Shame took Lara hostage until Reyes rolled down her window. "Just give it a few weeks and you'll be forgiven." With that, she put the car in gear and took of.

"Well, this is awkward," said Nathan. The bunch of them stared at each other until Elena piped up.

"It was very nice meeting you two, but I've got to find a way home now, if you'll excuse me." Elena began striding away, justifiably flustered.

"Elena, wait!" Nathan chased her. Jonah looked at Lara, puzzled.

"I'll check on them in a few minutes. I can meet you inside afterwards," she explained.

"Gotcha." He left her to it. Lara watched Nathan and Elena walk in circles around each other, obviously arguing. Nathan eventually revealed a chain necklace from the inside of his shirt. He clutched an object attached to it, showing it to Elena. Lara finally decided to walk back towards them, still giving them a few feet of space.

"Even when you think I'm not wearing my ring, I am, Elena. That has to mean something."

"It means that you can't let go," she said in a heated tone.

"I can't." Elena sighed and turned from him.

"Don't sign the papers. I know how much you miss doing research on the field, so come with me." She momentarily dismissed his request. "I miss you...and I know it's hard for you to go to all these places with me. It is hard, but we'll make it work. We always have." She let his words soak in for a minute, then responded.

"Take me out to dinner and we'll talk. You owe me a real date by now."

"I've taken you on dates before!" Nathan countered.

"When was the last time, Nathan?" Elena crossed her arms while he hesitated to answer.

"I'm not even going to attempt to answer that." Elena cracked a smile.

"Smart move."

"Nate!" Their heads turned to see Sully approaching. The sunlight made his hair appear lighter than the last time Lara had seen him. "Jesus, I saw you jump into the car and take off. Didn't care to send me the memo? The taxi almost lost you! I had to double the tip."

"Sorry, Sully, I got sidetracked," said Nathan. The old man lit a cigar.

"I see. Elena! How are you doing, dear?" They embraced each other.

"Just having another one of them completely normal days." Sully stepped back and took a drag.

"Nate's been real worried about you, you know. He loves you to death. Now, he might be an idiot who causes a lot of trouble."

"Sully."

"But he's a good man for-"

"Sully!"

"What?!"

"We already made up," explained Nathan.

"Well, excuse me for talking you up."

"Believe me, Sully, he needs all the help he can get," said Elena. She sighed. "Tell me you have a way to get us home."

"We got you covered, darling. You ready, Nathan?" Nathan fixed his eyes upon Lara.

"Just give me a sec."

"Take your time," Elena said sarcastically.

"Hey, whoa, is that Croft?" asked Sully. "Nate, do me a favor and give her my number-"

"Not gonna happen!" replied Nathan.

"Do you have any idea who that is?" Sully asked Elena, pointing his cigar at Lara.

"Not a clue."

"You're looking at Lady Lara Croft herself. Richard Croft's daughter."

"Richard had a daughter?!" Nathan stepped out of earshot and stood before Lara.

"I think I won her back."

"So I hear. Don't blow it."

"I sure won't," chuckled Nathan. "Not at this point. But what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What stunning specimen of the male population will win your heart now?" Lara smiled in amusement.

"I suppose that's for the future to tell."

"Well, when he shows, give me a call and we'll go on a double date."

"Don't count on it." He laughed at her comment and returned her axe to her, now coated in blood. He then held out his hand. Lara took it.

"Thanks for quite the adventure. And for, you know, helping me get the girl." Lara nodded heartwarmingly. They had been through so much together in a span of only a few days. As much as Lara didn't want to admit it to herself, things were going to be different when he left. However, she knew it was all for the best.

"Do you guys have a way home?"

"Sully supposedly does." He winked and started to back away. "Take care, Croft."

"You as well, Drake." Lara watched as Nathan slung his arm around Elena. She shrugged him off, continuing with him and Sully down the path. _"He's in it for the long haul now."_

"How could you not tell me that she is a Croft?!" Elena punched Nathan in the arm.

"What? And have you fan-girling about her father? Somebody has to control you." He dodged another swing from Elena.

Lara set foot inside the store. Jonah handed her a bottle of water while holding a bottle of soda for himself.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Geez, you can't ever leave a fight without getting marked up, can you?"

"Apparently not," responded Lara, clearly amused. Jonah peered outside the wide windows.

"You wanna tell me what the hell all that was about?"

"That's a story for another time, Jonah. How about some lunch for now?" Jonah returned the smile she had given him.

"Fine with me, Little Bird."

The End


	4. Chapter 4: A Bonus Chapter for Reviewers

REVIEWERS,

As a huge thank you for your feedback (I appreciate the support!), I decided to offer a bonus chapter to those who like the idea of Nathan and Lara together! Though I prefer them as friends, I extended my imagination to write this. Those that wanted them to STAY FRIENDS, this is probably not the chapter for you; you can just assume the story ends with the third chapter (which is what I'm doing in my own mind XD)! And for anyone that likes the Lara and Alex Weiss pairing, you are welcome to check out "The Born Adventurer," a story I wrote a few years ago, after the release of Tomb Raider (2013) and before the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider. I recently tweaked a few details to make it better aligned with the latest game. But anyway, enjoy this chapter of A Stroll Between Two Explorers and like always, feel free to review!

Chapter 4: The Alternate/Extended Ending

Richard Croft's office was absolutely littered with sheets beyond sheets of paper, as well as folders and markers. Diagrams, notated with every single detail, paragraphs with every key word highlighted, and the bright screen of a laptop holding an archive of never ending previous searches all added to the mess.

Amidst the clutter, sat a restless Lara Croft, desperate to find a new direction of research to fix her focus on. She worked long hours through the night, enduring the frustration that came with the task. She hadn't even bothered to this day to clean up the broken lamp from the night the intruder had stormed inside.

Lara abruptly ceased the tapping of her fingers on the keyboard. Her back cracked once when she removed herself from the hardwood floor. She soon returned to the office with a glass of water. As she drank from the glass, she peered at the room as a whole, leaning against her father's desk. It just occurred to her that she missed her small apartment; she disliked the eerie feel of her father's private office, even with all the resources available to her. Delicately placing her glass on the desk, she returned to her work. She flipped through a few pages of her father's journal, still relieved to have gotten it back.

Just as she found her almost rhythmic pacing, Lara heard the clattering of an object just down the hall. _"Who the hell is breaking in now?"_ she wondered, retrieving her pistol from one of the desk's drawers. She then crept into the hallway. Several paintings drifted past her as she slowly moved through the area.

Lara then caught sight of broken pieces of pottery scattered directly below a table that sat along an open window. _"I thought I had that closed..."_ She crouched down to get a closer look at the broken shards before her. The dark blue base paint of the empty vase was complimented by the small golden letters of an ancient script. _"One of dad's favorites..."_

The next thing Lara acknowledged was the water on the floor, most definitely from the light rainfall outside. Her eyes finally settled upon a trail of droplets, each of them looking like abstract footprints. There was no doubt anymore. Somebody had broken in. Lara straightened up, her adrenaline spiking upward as well.

She followed the footprints into her bedroom down at the end of the hall. The door was wide open, just as she left it. She stepped inside, holding her gun out in front her.

"Lara?" She lowered her weapon and glanced to her right, where her dresser sat. She knew that voice all too well. "You didn't point your gun at me that time. That's progress," said Nathan Drake, who was a stalker in Lara's book at this point. He smirked in that smug way that made Lara desperately want to slap him. She placed her gun on her dresser and turned to Nathan.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He raised his hands slightly, as though he was trying to reason with her. Water dripped off of his hair and clothes.

"Look, I had no idea you were home-"

"If I was home?! Regardless of whether I'm home or not, there's a bloody front door!"

"I'm sorry...I only meant to leave you this..." He clutched a piece of paper in his hand.

"Don't you know what a mail slot is?" she asked, snatching the folded paper from him. She collected her gun and next headed back to the office. This was it. Lara mentally noted to herself that she would relocate back to her apartment first thing in the morning, where nobody could bother her.

"I thought I'd leave it where you would find it, seeing as you never seemed like one to use the front door either," said Nathan, trailing behind her. He studied her outfit, consisting of a leather jacket that covered her gray shirt, along with her commonplace tan cargo pants.

"Do you ever wear pajamas?" Lara collected a few pages from the floor and placed them on the desk, creating the pile she intended to put together earlier.

"Well, as you can probably see, I have to be prepared for intruders like yourself," she replied with only a hint of humor. "Speaking of which, it's already been a long night and I'd appreciate it if you would leave." There were few people that Lara was comfortable sharing late-night visits with. Sam and Jonah immediately came to mind. But Nathan? His developing habit of reappearing was becoming unsettling to her.

"Aren't you gonna look at that paper?" asked Nathan.

"What is it?" He grabbed it from her, unfolded it, and handed it back.

"It's a new lead. I've been selfish and kept it when you have been nothing but selfless towards me. So, I figured that I owed you this." After initally glancing at the historical document, Lara grinned. All traces of alarm within her began to fade.

"That's not entirely true. I had been trying to get rid of you from the moment we met."

"That was always painfully obvious," Nathan points out while laughing. As Lara turned to place the paper on the desk, her smile faded. The document did indeed possess some very relevant information. Stapled to it was a note from Nathan, telling her what he had pretty much paraphrased: that he owed her this.

"Lara," started Nathan, drifting closer from behind. "Even though you eventually got rid of me, I...I couldn't get you off of my mind. Couldn't stop thinking about you." Lara faced him, surprised to see his very real genuineness up so close.

"You didn't come just to give me this," she gathered out loud. Nathan shook his head in a serious manner before lowering his face towards hers.

"What about Elena?" Lara asked, just inches before their lips touched. Nathan backed out.

"It wasn't working. All we ended up doing was fighting. She...she doesn't trust me anymore..." Lara gazed at the floor.

"That's a shame..." she said in a low voice.

"It is...after all that time. But I know I'll be okay, 'cause all I'm really looking for is right in front-" Lara backed away alongside the desk when he reached for her hand.

"I'm not going to be your rebound, Nathan. Go home and just move on."

"I know you think I'm that guy, but I'm not. I just know what's worth fighting for now. It was never Elena." Nathan took a step closer, prompting Lara to continue to back up.

"This is crazy. We don't even know each other."

"But we do." Lara's eyes locked onto Nathan's. "Just on a different level, that's all," he says. Lara felt her back push against a wall, then Nathan closing in on her.

"What do you say, Croft? We would make a great team."

"I...I-" Lara lost herself in the powerful determination seeping from Nathan. Emotions that she hadn't felt since her early years in college began to grow inside of her.

Nathan took a moment before leaning in and kissing Lara. She gave up her protest and brought her hands up to the back of his head. Nathan responded by positioning his hands on her waist. All the frustration pent up inside Lara channeled into their embrace. Their kisses deepened. Their bodies pressed tighter against each other. Lara's jacket did a fair job at blocking Nathan's damp clothing. At least a minute had passed before they broke apart. They breathed for a moment.

"Wait, how did you find me?" Nathan smiled.

"It isn't hard to locate the manor of a famous family of archaeologists...Do you ever stop asking questions?"

"You've got to ask questions to get answers, Nathan. Everyone knows that."

"True, but have you ever tried just giving into the unknown every once in a while?" His question baffled Lara.

"What are-" Nathan stopped her emerging words with a kiss.

"First, you leave any questions out of your mind." He planted another kiss on her silent lips. "Then, you live in the moment." He proceeded to press his lips to her neck. Lara lost herself yet again, clutching his shoulders with both hands. Just as fast as she lost her grip on reality, she came back, shoving him off of her. Nathan caught his balance and looked at her, his expression marked by both confusion and intensity. Only a few more seconds passed before Lara stepped forward, grabbed him by the head, and forcefully pulled his lips to hers. If they were going somewhere, Lara would lead the way.

She guided Nathan down to his knees, then onto his back. Nathan slid his hand under her shirt and ran it up her back as she climb on top of him. Their lips remained joined for a few more minutes, until Lara pulled away. They stared at each other, their faces almost touching. Nathan raised his other hand to stroke a loose strand of Lara's hair. He traced the outline of her jaw with his fingertips. Lara combed her fingers through Nathan's hair before finally speaking.

"Care to help me decipher some of the script you so generously gave to me?" Lara asked in a whisper. It didn't take long for Lara to be swept back to her wondering mind.

"Yes ma'am." The two of them sat up and addressed the page, after Lara reached up and grabbed it from the desk.

"It definitely looks Greek," explained Lara. "What I've read so far refers to the Divine Source from Kitezh. Hm," she said, squinting her eyes. "Right here is where I'm getting a little fuzzy with the script." She pointed to a few words in the middle of the paper.

"I think some of the modern Greek letters actually directly derived from this ancient Greek text. If you look up the modern dialect, you might find a close translation," Nathan explained.

"Right." Lara shifted her attention to her laptop. She typed a few words in the search box and tapped the Enter key. As she examined the search results, Nathan gently rested his chin on Lara's shoulder. She paused for a split-second before refocusing on the internet.

"Of course! We covered this grammatical structure in school! How could I forget?!" She studied the paper again. "Yes! I remember hearing some Trinity soldiers talking about this! Nathan," He picked his head off her shoulder to look at Lara.

"We could have very well uncovered Trinity's next step!" Nathan grinned

"I thought some of the script was hinting in that direction! I'm glad I brought this to you." Lara offered no response in words, but instead plunged her face in for a single kiss. She pulled back, revealing a brilliant smile that made Nathan's heart pound harder. Lara, held the paper tightly against her chest, clearly thrilled.

"Here I thought you were trying to avoid Trinity," said Nathan jokingly.

"Just direct combat with them. In the end though, I need to do whatever it takes to stop them," replied Lara, shuffling through a bunch of pages. Nathan lied down on his side and propped himself up with his elbow.

"Why go through all the trouble? What do you gain from this?" Lara thought about these questions.

"Well, definitely for worldly knowledge, I suppose. But also for my father. People mocked his 'tales' of the myths he uncovered." She fiddled with the paper in her hands. "After I discovered that he was actually right, I was determined to show the world so. But things changed even more, after finding Kitezh. All that matters is that I know the truth about my father. So, my goal is simply to stop Trinity. For him and myself." Nathan nodded as he listened.

"I can't say the same about my father, whom I know little about to begin with, seeing as my brother and I were taken to a home shortly after my mother had...died." Lara bowed her head as he said this. "But my drive to explore definitely has a lot to do with my family. Unfortunately, doing so has taken its toll on relations within the family." Lara cleared her throat.

"It's nice to be able to talk to somebody that actually understands," she said softly. Her remark triggers a subtle smile touched by gratitude on Nathan's face. He moved to kiss her. Lara lowered her head, stopping him in his tracks. _"That moment came and went...you were just happy about the research, Lara. That's all it was,"_ thought Lara. How could she possibly pursue such an intimate relationship with a man whom she was still unsure if she could trust on a more personal level?

"It's late, Nathan." The man solemnly climbed to his feet. "I'll walk you out," Lara told him. Together, they traversed in silence through the manor, until they were standing outside the front gate.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye...again." Nathan's lips formed a slight frown when Lara held out her hand. It appeared that she had no further interest in him.

"Goodbye, Nathan."

"Good luck the rest of your research, Lara." He took her hand and shook it half-heartedly. He didn't even care about the research anymore; he was on the verge of losing the very person that made him feel truly alive after all those years of hardship. He turned and started putting some distance between her and himself.

Though she was finally free of his company, Lara couldn't escape a feeling of dread. She paced for a moment. _"Damn it, Lara. You can't let him go again. You can't let go of the only person who truly understands."_ She took a deep breath and hurried over to him.

"Nathan!" Lara threw her arms around him and kissed him once, barely giving him enough time to react.

"Meet me at the cafe on Main Street tomorrow at 3:00. We have yet to reallyget to know each other." Instead of showing compliance to her request, Nathan simply looked to the sky.

"It's too bad it stopped raining. That's the only thing that would have made that moment more perfect. Would have been living a movie." He rested his eyes back on Lara, a charming smile forming. "But I suppose that this is close enough for me. Goodnight, Lara. We'll talk tomorrow." Nathan gently left a kiss on Lara's cheek before releasing her and continuing on his way.

"Nathan!" He turned back. "I can't promise I won't talk a ton about history," she warned, grinning with slight mischief. Nathan chuckled.

"You know that'll be fine with me, sweetheart." Lara watched him walk away, shaking her head in regards to how silly he could be at times.

She strode back up to the office. Instead of becoming knee-deep in her notes again, however, she simply turned off the dim light in the room. After sliding into pajamas for the first time in what felt like a century, she finally climbed into bed. Allowing her tired eyes and aching bones to rest, she waited for sleep to carry her into the next day. She believed that Nathan Drake could very well make the right difference in her life. Tomorrow would bring the truly mysterious future.

The End


End file.
